Final Goodbye
by XxDreamWalker
Summary: Naomi and Peeta have been dating for two years now. What will happen when she finds out he and katniss end up as lovers? Will she settle for being the side women in this relationship? Peeta/OC
1. Chapter 1

_I remember tears streaming down your face__  
__When I said "I'll never let you go"__  
__When all those shadows almost killed your light__  
__I remember you said "Don't leave me here alone"__  
__But all that's dead and gone and past tonight.__  
_

"Peeta!" I screamed as I barged into room he was being held in before they took him to the capitol. The room looked nice; much nicer than anything around town. With the purple drapes by the window, the somewhat lovely couch that propped against the wall, it seemed like a nice place to talk privately. The only thing was; this was the room where you said your final goodbyes to your loved ones once they are reaped.

Peeta wasn't sitting on the couch as I thought he would. He was standing by the corner of the room with both his hands placed on the top of his head as if any second he would yank out his beautiful locks of blond hair. He looked deep in thought, so deep into his sub conches that I bet he didn't realize I almost practically busted the door open with my tiny body. The look on his face was so stunned… So pained that the words I wanted to tell him lodged in my throat. I couldn't find my breath and it was almost as if everything else in the world made no sound. How was I supposed to fix this? How was I supposed to support him while I would be miles and miles away from me? Nearly right away once I asked myself those questions the tears I was holding back began to surface. Looking at him so vulnerable, so upset I couldn't bring myself to look at him.

After a minute of me standing by the door I finally made a sobbing sound, trying to figure out how to breathe. Peeta snapped his head forward, finally realizing the other individual in the room. After whipping my eyes with my hands I finally looked at Peeta's face, trying to treasure the final moments I would have with him.

I didn't know hurt more; seeing him look completely lost and alone or the look he gave me when he looked at my pathetic state. The look he gave me was a mixture of pain, regret, sorrow, ache, and complete self loath that it made the tears run down my face faster then they originally were. I knew what he was thinking even though we made neither sound nor movement. I guess the only reason why was cause I was sadly thinking the same thing; that we wish never met each other.

As heartless and depressing that sounded; it was true. If we never met each other, neither of us would have become friends. We wouldn't have fallen for each other. We wouldn't have felt this pure love running through our veins each time we looked at each other's eyes. We wouldn't have felt this crushing pain in the middle of our chest at this moment. How were we supposed to accept that the chances of Peeta and I getting back to each other were so close to none?

"Naomi…" Peeta started as he started to walk towards me. He walked slowly and gradually, probably trying to figure out what to say. My vision started to blur, letting the tears finally flow as they pleased. I couldn't take looking at him any long so I did the one thing I knew I could do; I jumped into his arms.

_Just close your eyes__  
__The sun is going down__  
__You'll be alright__  
__No one can hurt you now__  
__Come morning light__  
__You and I'll be safe and sound_

Peeta held me for a while, probably trying to sooth my cries before he tried talking to me. I bit my bottom lip so hard till I tasted the blood; just too simply stop me from crying any more then I was. We only had a few minutes left after all. I would feel horrible if I just left him with the memory of me sobbing on his shoulder, breaking down in his arms.

I pulled away and looked at him in the eyes, trying to take a mental picture of him the way he was; Loving and wonderful. The one person who was best thing that has ever happened to me in my life. Who one person who IS the best thing that ever happen to me in my life. Why weren't the words coming out? None of this was a proper goodbye. Was it because both of us weren't prepared to say goodbye? Was it cause both of us never dreamed of this sort of thing happening to us?

"I-I'm sorry…" I started as tried to regain my voice. Peeta gave me a sad frown, not happy with the words coming out of my mouth.

"None of this is your fault Naomi! You don't have to be sorry…" he said quietly as he gave me a small peck on the lips. Those lips of his were so soft and so sweet that one was never enough.

"I-I'm sorry I can't be strong for you… Here I am with me wrapped in your arms and I can't even manage to stop the tears..." I said as I sniffed, trying to hold back the sobs already forming in my mouth. Peeta took one of his hands and raised my chin, trying to make me look into his beautiful eyes. The one thing I always got lost in.

"I want you to know.. No what happens to me in the arena," he started but once I heard the word 'arena' I cringed, thinking of the years I watched district 12's tributes die painful deaths. Thinking of Peeta dying like that made the tightening feeling in my chest more unbearable.

Peeta pushed a lock of my curly hair behind my ear, trying to get a better look at my face. He was perfect, simply perfect. "I want you to know… I'll hold you up above everyone… you're my sugar plum… I hope you will always know... I'll always be right beside you…" by this time I couldn't hold back the tears. Why was he making so hard? Why was he deliberately crushing my heart and repairing it at the same time while saying these beautiful words?

Almost as if god himself was trying to ruin my life the peacekeepers opened the door. "Times up!" they said as they reached in to grab me and throw me out. In a second I kissed Peeta, pouring my whole heart and soul into the kiss till they latterly ripped me away from his grasp.

"Naomi!" Peeta yelled as he reached to grab my hand. I held onto it as long as I could, treasuring the moment I had with him. This was happening.. I was saying my last goodbye to the boy I love.

"Peeta I love you!" I screamed as our hands were pulled apart, breaking the only link we would ever have again. Once the door closed and I was thrown on the floor, I let all my anger and frustration out in a single cry before I was kicked by a peacekeeper to shut up. This was truly a goodbye… To no one in particular I started to talk. "**You** know that you are in love when the hardest thing to do is say good-bye..."

Don't you dare look out your window  
Darling everything's on fire  
The war outside our door keeps raging on  
Hold on to this lullaby  
Even when the music's gone

* * *

_**Should i make this into a full story?**_

**_I had a whole lot of fun writing this :P_**

**_Did you guys like this?_**

**_Please tell me what you think, i love to hear your opinions :)_**

**_-Xoxo Nessa_**


	2. Chapter 2

Minutes seemed like hours

Hour's seemed like days

Days seemed like weeks

And this week alone felt like an eternity.

[-]

_The silence between us was so soundless, it was deafening. The hum of the wind dancing threw the trees were loud and someway annoying. The rustling sound of people's feet hitting the ground was bothersome. Even the hushed sound of the adults whispering their best bet for this year's tributes was more infuriating than normal. No matter which way you looked at it, today was clearly not the day to take lightly. Today was the reaping of the 73__th__ hunger game tributes. _

"_How many…?" Peeta asked as he threw little pebbles across the road from his parents shop, trying so hard not to look at me. His hair was neatly combed back, pushing his cute curls out of his face. His dress shirt, even if he wouldn't admit it, went amazing with his blue eyes and blond hair. He looked so dashing and cute; I couldn't help but smile slightly. Who wouldn't be glad looking at their boyfriend who looked exceptionally good? _

_Oh yeah. I remember now; today was reaping day. Who knew looking at this beautiful boy could be so painful? _

"_Do you think your mom would get mad if I ate dinner with you guys today?" I asked as I tried to avoid his question. I didn't need him worrying if I was going to be picked for the hunger games, whether or not the odds were in my favor. He had his own name to worry about. "I could bring my famous goat cheese mixed with herbs. You love that stuff with bread." I finished as I pushed back my neatly combed hair behind my ear. The idea of eating dinner with Peeta's family brought forth this furzy feeling in the middle of my tummy. Who would have thought Peeta's aggravating and bitchy mother would even like me? Surly not me; I always had the expression she thought I was a moocher. A giggle escaped my lips while I was thinking of Peeta explaining to his mother why he likes me. It was a humiliating site._

_The look Peeta gave me shut me up immediately. It wasn't like he looked at me with hate or irritation. It was nothing of the sort. Peeta wasn't that type of person. His face held its composure, giving me a dead stare. The thing that surprised me was his eyes. It held so much sadness, so much distress, so much trouble; it hurt me looking at him. My smiling face fell, realizing this was a question he needed to know an answer to._

"_20 times…" I started as I clicked my somewhat shiny black shoes together trying to make a clacking sound. "I guess the odds aren't really in my favor this year are they?" I finished as I looked at my feet, trying so hard not to look at his face. It wasn't my entire fault; a tailoring shop only made so much money for a family of 3; my mom, me and my dad. Then again I wouldn't be worrying about my name being put in a few more times now. Since both my parents were dead, worrying about one mouth to feed was easier and a whole lot cheaper. Cruel, I know but you need to do what you need to survive. _

"_Naomi..." he said softly, trying to get my attention. Tears started to blur my vision, threading to fall any second. It wasn't like I got reaped or anything, it was just hard to admit I was so helplessly in love with this boy. I hate the way he pulls me in with just a glance, the way he makes my heart flutter when he tells me he loves me. Even the way my hand feels cold when he isn't holding it, the way my day isn't complete when I don't even get a proper wave from the boy working in the shop. These entire things make loving him so hard, yet so right. _

"_Don't look at me like that." I said quickly, taking hold of my knees and pushing them close to my chest. There wasn't anything I could do or say to make things better. We both knew that. Suddenly a hand was placed on my shoulder, gesturing me to look to at him. I hated the way he made me give in so easily, so effortlessly. _

"_Promise me something Naomi..." He started as he tried to sit closer to me, attempting to break the distance between me and him. Promise him what? Was he making sure that if I was reaped I wouldn't cry? That I would keep my head held high and not let the capitol break me down into their toys? Did he think that less of me?_

"_Promise me that if I get reaped…" he started as tried to get a hold of my hand "You won't watch." I'm guessing the face I made must have been a mixture of displeasure, sorrow and complete bewilderment. Not watch? How could I not? It was after all a requirement for everyone in each district to watch._

"_Peeta..." I started but was cut off by the shake f his head. _

"_No, promise me. Promise me you won't watch. I don't care if you go MIA for a 2 weeks hiding in your room. I don't want you to watch." He voice was so fierce, so demanding. This is was what he wanted me to promise? To not watch the games if, god forbid, he was reaped?_

_I sighed, realizing this was a fairly reasonable request. Year after year I saw the loved ones of those years tributes turn almost mad at the sight of them dying. How would I be if I saw Peeta slaughtered on a screen for everyone to watch, some to cheer? Would I be a functional person? Would I have any energy to move on with my life? He was the main reason I woke up in the morning, surly I knew if he died I would have been broken beyond repair. _

"_Promise me you'll do the same."_

"_I promise." Peeta said, tightening his grip on my hand. _

"_I promise Peeta."_

[-]

Keeping the promise we established a year ago was so much harder than I thought.

I had to avoid the square COMPLETELY.

I made sure Gale, one of my close friends, took my projector and hid it from me. I didn't trust myself with it to put it simply.

I even had to avoid people and my customers since everyone was saying _something _about the games. Even Gale! I had to cover my ears and scream "la la la la I'm not listening!" as I ran out of his sight once he mentioned how beautiful Katniss had looked during the interviews. Who knew this was going to be so hard?

It had already been 2 weeks and my heart was aching since I haven't seen his face. From the looks on peoples face, Peeta hadn't died yet. _Yet_.

My fingers fiddled with the piece of fabric that one of my customers handed me just earlier today, trying to see how exactly I could make a size 10 dress one size larger. My eyes hurt from carefully breaking apart knots and thread to fix the dress up. I needed a good way to keep me busy and work, of course, seemed to be my only savoir.

After what seemed like hours I put my work down to head to my room, trying to see if I could sleep off hours of my day. I plopped myself on my bed and laid there, just thinking how exactly I was suppose to keep living my life after the games end. With the chances of Peeta coming back so low and my life having no real meaning, I could probably volunteer. I would be another shocking action since people in the outer districts never volunteered, of course with the exception of Katniss Everdeen.

For one year only I could one family of grief and save a child from the capitols games. Seems like an honorable way to die...Right? I sighed and curled up with my blanket, trying so hard not to cry. I was already thinking of a way to finish my life without Peeta? How could I be so cruel?

"I want you back so badly…" I said softly as I hugged my pillow, falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

**_I decided to continue the story_**

**_O-o i realized... i don't have much dialog.. I'll fix that soon_**

**_tell me what you think ;D_**

**_-Xoxo Nessa _**


	3. Chapter 3

"It's over!" Gale screamed as he ran his way towards me. After 20 minutes of washing my dirty laundry with only the noise of the winds passing the dead trees keeping me sane, this was startling. I gawked at him, trying to figure out what he meant by those two words; it's over. My face complete turned horrified, thinking gale meant Peete, my Peeta, died. My fingers went numb, dropping the cloth I was previously holding into the dark water.

Gale ran full speed towards me, panting for breath when he stopped in front of me. "Katniss… Katniss and Peeta… They... They both won!" he explained. Both victors won this year? How could this happen? My breathing stopped as my mind raced with thoughts of Peeta and Katniss. Without me knowing it myself I was crying on Gale's shirt, sobbing uncontrollably and hanging onto him with all my might. He was actually coming back. My Peeta was coming back!

"W-when?" was all came out of my mouth. Gale's faces soften, as if he was debating with himself to tell me something.

"I found out today they are already coming home…" Gale started as he stood up straight, towering over me by at least 9 inches.

"So the interviews have been over?" I asked as I got ready to head inside my little home. "Why didn't you tell me sooner…? I asked quietly, clearly upset that Gale would hide that little bit of information from me. To tell the whole truth, people have been avoiding me altogether. They ignore like I am the black plague, never referring me to my name like they use to. It was always 'that girl' or 'Miss Tailor' which, for their information, was not my name. Sadly even Peeta's parents wouldn't look at me. Sure it bummed me out a bit when it started but over all I was kind of happy. I didn't have to hear them talking about the games, about how Peeta could be dead.

"Naomi…" Gale started but I held my hand, gesturing him to stop.

"None of that matters now I guess. Don't worry about it, okay?" I said quickly as I walked towards my door with Gale fallowing me like a little duck.

The smile planted on my face, no matter how upset I was, wouldn't leave my face easily. "I guess the Odds were in mine and your favor this year, right Gale?" I started as I began looking threw my small closet for a nice dress. "Your beloved Katniss is back and I get to see my Peeta again." I chipper as I picked a cute white dress with red flowers imbedded threw out the dress.

"Naomi…" Gale started again as he touched my shoulder, trying so hard to get my attention. I turn around to see his face full of shame and disgrace, clearly not happy.

"Gale are your seriously still upset about the fact you didn't tell me they were coming home till today?" I asked as I walked towards my front door. "I'm telling you right now, it's okay. At lest you told me unlike the whole town." I said as I opened the door. "Now I really don't want to seem like a bitch but I need to change into something presentable and take a bath. I'll meet you at the square."

Gale sighed and walked out but before he left he leaned against my door frame. "Naomi… Peeta and Katniss…" He started but he seemed lost in his words. He shook his head and kissed my for head. "Just don't hate me when you find out…" he said as he walked away, heading back to his house.

[-]

_I groaned into my hands as I stood in front of Peeta, clearly embarrassed. The dress I was wearing went past my knees and showed off my creamy legs. Clearly I grew from last year._

_Peeta held his smirk, trying so hard not to laugh."It looks good on you." He said and he took my hand and made me set on his lap. More groans left my lips as I felt the fabric of his pants on my thighs. _

"_This is humiliating..." I said as took in a deep breath, trying very hard to slow down my heart beat. This was the very first time I showed off THIS much skin to someone other than my family. _

"_We could take it off in my room if that would make happier..." Peeta whispered in my ear as he tightened his arms around my waist. A hot bright red ran across my cheeks, knowing exactly what he meant. _

"_Peeta, your mom's home…" I said softly as I let my hair hide my green eyes. We talked a few times about me and him doing THAT for about a few months but in the end we never did anything but making out on his bed with him on top of me._

"_She's busy… Come on baby." He said softly, making shivers run down my spine. We've been dating for about 2 years now; I didn't see why doing THIS sort of thing would be 'bad'. I bit my bottom lip hard, trying so hard to keep calm._

"_Okay…" I said quietly, thinking it fully threw. The reaping wasn't till past 12 and it was barely 7am. We clearly had time to cuddle and other stuff…_

"_Really?" Peeta asked as he tried to look at my face. I nodded in response, making him smile brightly. _

_[-] _

I looked at myself in the mirror I had, smoothing out the cloth that barely covered my legs. My hair was neatly combed back, showing off my emerald green eyes. I personally didn't think I looked beautiful or pretty with my somewhat flat chest and my thin waist. It wasn't like I had much meat on my bones ether. Even though I thought I wasn't pretty, Peeta and the other boys around my age thought differently. I remember one time while me and Peeta were on a small date around town, this one boy named Daniel thought it would be funny to flirt me while Peeta was getting me and him some candy to eat. Peeta's face when he saw Daniel wrap his arm around my waist was so furious, I was actually kind of scared.

A smile went across my face as I thought of Peeta. We could finally be a normal couple, just enjoying each other's company. That's all I could really ask for.

* * *

**_What's going to happen next?_**

**_;D Give me your opinons on what should happen_**

**_i would love to see what you guys want._**

**_REVIEW!_**

**_-Xoxo Nessa._**


	4. Chapter 4

People's eyes gazed at me, watching my every move. Whispering as I passed, pointed as I walked by.

This was getting annoying.

When I saw Gale's face I smile seeped into my face, realizing it was almost time. It was almost time to see the victors, welcoming them home. I was going to be Welcoming Peeta home.

As I stood next time him and Prim, my heart went numb. I didn't really think threw what I was going to say to him? Pretend that he leaving for almost a month was a thing of the past? Was he going to be the same person I saw in the justice building? Was he going to look at me with those same blue eyes filled with love? My smile softened, realizing all this was trivial. Who cared if Peeta came out of that arena a different person? As long as I had him in my arms, everything was fine.

The sound of people screaming "I see the train!" made my head snap into the direction of the train. In an instant I held onto Gale's hand, squezzing it till it hurt just to make sure this wasn't some sick dream. Gale squeezed my hand back, trying to keep me sane.

As the doors opened, the light blurred my vision. The noise coming from the people around me was so deafening, all of it went numb. Not that it mattered of course. I just needed to see HIS face.

"Naomi I need to tell you something." Gale said as he pulled on my arm to make me faced him. "You need to know something. Peeta and Katniss are-" He was cut off by the roar if the people. I got on my toes and leaned in his ear. "I know they won't be the same after the Games. I understand that Gale" I screamed as got back to my feet and turned to face the train.

What I saw though… I didn't expect nor was I built to handle it.

Katniss and Peeta were holding hands, kissing each other.

What was happening?

[-]

"_This is hard…" I said quietly as I rubbed off the sweat from my forehead with my arm. Who knew kneading dough would be such a hard job?_

"_That's cause your doing it wrong dumb butt" said Peeta with a scoff. I glared at him, not satisfied with the fact I was 'doing it wrong'. How could you knead dough wrong? All you had to do was stretch and beat the damned thing._

"_Oh is that so Pita bread?" I said sarcastically as I dropped the dough on the wooden board. With flower plastered on my face and arms, it being 6 am, and the fact that I was STARVING, my patience was wearing thin. I understood that Peeta's mom was sick and he needed help making the bread in the morning but I was the last person I would have thought to ask. _

"_Come on hun, you have lay the bread on its side like this." He said as he stood behind me and took my hand in his. In a slow motion he made my hands press on the dough making it flatten when it made contact with my palms. Peeta was doing all the work, whispering in my ear exactly what to do. He made 'be sure to scoop up whatever left-over loose flour remains. Sprinkle it into the dough before you fold the top over' sound sexy. _

_Once he pulled away, my heart was pounding so hard I could hear each beat with my ears. Peeta, being the devil that he was, knew this and wrapped his arms around my waist._

"_Anything wrong princess?" he asked as he bushed a stain of my hair behind my ear. "You look a little flushed."_

_This is what I hated the most. Everyone saw the cute and innocent side of Peeta. I saw the devilish and teasing part of him. _

"_I have no idea what you're talking about Peeta." I said with as much confidence as I could. "I am perfect fine."_

_His laugh run in my ears, making me smile brightly. He pressed his forehead to mine and stared into my eyes._

"_I love you… You know that right?"_

_A blush ran across my cheeks._

"_Of course… Never forget I love you too Pita bread."_

"_God I hate that name."_

[-]

-3rd person POV-

Naomi's hand went limp in Gale's, watching the victors make a public display of each others affection. Her face showed no emotion as she stared at Peeta, trying to make sense of it all. Gale gazed at her, feeling the wave of hurt. He basically helped Peeta crush what little left of her life she had left. He helped him crush these poor girls' feelings into pieces and now that the damage was done; what could he do?

Almost 5 minutes passed before she made any move. Naomi snapped her hand away from Gales and began to walk away, not daring to look at anyone in the face. She felt betrayed and deceived by district 12, but mostly backstabbed by Gale; her friend.

"Naomi please wait!" Gale screamed as he ran after her. He knew very well she must have hated him. She must have hated everyone. Once Gale her hand to make her stop, she wiped back to face him. She had tears in her eyes and hard scowl.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed as she slapped his hand away, not wanting anything to do with him. She felt so wounded, nothing seemed right. She felt like nothing was real.

"Naomi I'm so sorry." Gale said as he tried to take a step closer to her. As a response she took a big step back, not wanting anything to do with him.

"Sorry? You're sorry?" she screamed as she wrapped her arms around herself. "You're sorry you didn't tell me MY Peeta hooked up with Katniss during the games? What kind of sick apology is that?" she said as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"You knew… You knew and you never told me…" she said as the tears ran down her cheeks. "What did I ever do to you Gale…?"

Gale shifted his weight back and forth to one foot then the other. It wasn't like he was trying to hurt her. How was he supposed to tell one of his best friends that her boyfriend was hooking up with another girl on television? It wasn't something you would want to bring up…

"What Gale… Just… Tell them I said hi or something…" she said quietly as she turned around and stated to walk home. Gale stood where he was; afraid and way too pissed off to move. She was hurt. She was broken beyond repair… Maybe it would have been better if Peeta did die in the arena... it would have saved her all this regret.

* * *

**_I got teary eyed when i wrote this. _**

**_POOR NAOMI!_**

**_Next Chapter; she talks to Peeta. Hmmmm ;D_**

**_-Xoxo Nessa_**


	5. Chapter 5

Naomi sat quietly by working desk and sewed the hem on a 13 year old girl's dress. It's pretty dress, white with a simple vintage background with very simple lace on the bottom. All she had to do is make the dress slightly bigger so that it would fit on the 13 year old girl's waist. She was so hard to keep busy; fixing up wash cloths, customizing dresses for free, even did some simple gardening.

She was shell.

Peeta nor Gale came to visit, not that she wanted to see them anyways. It had been almost 2 months since she had any sort of REAL conversation with another person. Just common small talk with her customers and even then she always ended it by responding with small "mhm" and "that's nice." She didn't even notice herself losing a dramatic amount of weight, making the dresses she normally wears look baggy around her small 5'4" body.

None of it really mattered to her, she was never hungry. It wasn't even that she didn't have the money for it, she just never felt like going to the square.

One day during a Sunday, Gale couldn't take the silence. He knew she wasn't necessarily avoiding him; she just wasn't looking for him. She had every right not too, it just bummed him out a little. He heard from his customers at the hob she was doing fine, just lost a lot of weight. They were generally were upset they had hid the information of Peeta and katniss from her but it seemed appropriate. The Capitol wouldn't favor a boy cheating on his real girlfriend for some 'girl on fire'. Gale sighed, realizing they did the same thing. Really, calling Gale Katniss's 'cousin'?

Gale walked down the familiar walkway towards Naomi's little cottage, a walk he vividly remembered since he walked down it so many times just to say hi to the small girl. Her cottage was small like most homes in the Steam but hers looked nicer than others. Since her father and mother were more affluent than most people in district 12, her mother a healer like while also owning a tailoring shop and her father a coal miner in addition to a hunter with Mr. Everdeen, she always had enough to live comfortably. Since her family had died though... Things were very different.

Gale shook his head back and forth, trying not to dwell so much in the past. After all, that's not why he was here. He had caught enough squirrels to spare 2 with Naomi. He needed to see her smile. As he got closer to her house he saw a small outline of a person. A smile stretched across his face, realizing she was outside doing her gardening. Maybe she was doing better then he thought.

He was of course, wrong.

What he saw wasn't exactly what he was hoping to see. Naomi was still her small self but with obvious things different. Her glossy brown hair that was normally wavy and smooth turned flat and had a slight darker color to it. Her cheeks, normally full and pink, had hollowed and turning a pail color. When she noticed Gale walking towards her, she gave a small smile and a wave, showing her bony arms.

Gale always knew she was thin, but this was unhealthy. Gale shook his head, deciding not to bring this up to her. He knew very well she was still upset about the whole Peeta and Katniss ordeal. Him bringing that up just might break her even more.

"Hey Shorty, how is my favorite little person doing today on this fine Sunday night?" Gale said as he walked closer towards her. She gave him a small giggle, picking herself off the dirt floor. As Gale hugged her though, he felt as if he could crush her bones if he really wanted too. Clearly the dress was hiding a lot more then he could see.

"I'm doing great Gale. Not to seem rude but what are you doing here?" Naomi asked as she dusted off her dress, gesturing Gale to enter her home. Once Gale sat down one of Chairs in the room, he placed his game bag on the desk.

"I brought back some squirrels from today's hunt. I miss your home cooking, you mind cooking some stew?" he asked and he laid his head on the desk. She giggled again, opening the bag and taking the squirrels out. He missed this part of being her friend; her smile and laugh.

"Coming right up Gale Hawthorn, You're in luck too! My carrots and potatoes are ready to be cooked." She said as she started to prepare the food. Maybe he could do this every other night. Come here, watch her cook then eat with her. He could then make sure she gained weight. Hell, he could even crash here for the night since it was so close to the coal minds. He closed his eyes and took a small nap, listening to hum a tuneless melody

[-]

After a good hour nap, Gale wok up to the smell of homemade stew and the soft bubbling coming from the pot. Naomi was already looking a very slight bit back to normal. Her cheeks had a small pink tint to them, making her eyes pop.

"Is dinner ready Nao?" Gale asked softly as he continued to watch her work. A small swept across her face as she poured the stew into a big bowl, giving Gale the biggest amount of meat from the squirrels.

"You were sleeping so long, you didn't help me!" she said softly as she placed the bowl in front of Gale. Gale laughed noticing a bow was placed in her hair, probably placed to keep her hair out of her face while she cooked. Even with her almost sickly figure, she looked stunning while she was doing something she loved.

"Dig in Gale, I made a lot."

[-]

Month after month Gale had a strict agenda;

Monday thru Saturday- Work in the coal mines till 7

Sunday morning- hunt with katniss

Monday, Tusday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday during 7:30 P.M. head to Naomi to eat dinner with her.

Sunday night- Crash in Naomi's house.

Week after week Gale had that same agenda. It was simple, easy and he finally got to see Naomi back to normal. Her hair turned back to the Glossy brown it was originally in though her wavy hair hasn't, she gained a lot of weight compared to how sickly she looked before. She even talked more while she was in the square. Everything was turning back to normal till one Sunday, I told her I couldn't see her till next week.

"Oh, is that so?" she asked as she put a plate of grilled turkey in front of Gale, looking very gloomy.

"Yeah… You see, we haven't met our slandered amount of coal we normally give to the capitol. Everyone will be working overtime till the next week." Gale said quietly as he poked at the meat, clearly upset that she was sad.

"Okay." Was all she could say before she took a small nibble of the meat that was in front of her. Normally while they had dinner together, they both talked about their day and said real cheesy jokes. Sometimes it was pity arguments about nonsense; others were deep discussions about the capitol. This time it was an occasional comment about the food or work but over all nothing. Gale left and left her alone, thinking no real harm was going to happen while he was gone for a small week.

He was of course, wrong

[-]

Night has consumed day and it was cold due to it being the middle of winter. It had passed exactly a week since Gale had told Naomi he wouldn't be visiting for only a week. He was going to make it up to her of course. He brought her cookies with jam, something she always favored even as a child.

"Naomi, it smells good in here. I'm hoping it's some stew" Gale asked as he causally opened the door. Silence was his only response.

"Naomi…?" he asked again as he walked deeper into the small cottage. What he saw though, he wishes he hadn't. A boiling hot stew in a nice big bowls were placed in front of where he and Naomi normally sat for dinner with a loaf of bread in the center of the table. All of it smelled magnificent. All of it apart from one thing; Naomi was on the floor on her cottage with a shattered glass cup next to her body.

"Naomi!"

* * *

_Poor Gale ;-;_

_Are you guys liking the story? :'(_

_Tell me what you think_

_-XoXo Nessa_


	6. Chapter 6

Gale picked up the limp Naomi in his arms and put his ear near her mouth trying to see if he heard her breathing. It was faint, but he could hear it. After he confirmed she was still breathing he ran straight out of her house towards katniss's house. Surly Mrs. Everdeen would know what to do.

With the snow forming into large chucks on the floor, Gale tripped a few times but still managed to stay on his feet. With his heart beating so hard like a drum in his ears, he didn't realize he was talking to himself.

"I should have came over late after work,"

"I could have shown up earlier if I clocked in before everyone else."

"I should have checked on her more."

"Mrs. Everdeen is going to fix you right up, you hear that?"

"Please be okay…" he whispered as he quickened his steps towered Katniss's house.

Once he got there, katniss was speaking with Haymitch and Peeta by the back door of her house. Chances were that they were talking about the victory tour they just got back from. Katniss and Peeta continued with their lover act, hurting Naomi each time the tour was mentioned by the square. Peeta and Katniss were all the people were talking about.

_Peeta. _The same Peeta that broke the very girl in Gale's arms, the guy who took Katniss away from him. Gale clenched his jaw shut, trying so hard not to start something he knew he couldn't finish off. Not while Naomi was in this state.

"Katniss get your mom!" Gale screamed as he ran full speed towards the door. Katniss stood there, shocked and confused for a few seconds before she ran full speed to get her mom to make it to the kitchen. Gale passed Peeta and Haymitch, not bothering to look at either of them. Once he reached the kitchen he placed Naomi's body on the kitchen counter, trying very hard to make her as comfortable as possible.

"What's wrong with her?" Gale asked and Mrs. Everdeen looked over Naomi's body, touching her forehead and checking her pulse.

"When and how did you find her like this?" Mrs. Everdeen asked as she started to remove some of Naomi's clothing. Gale touched her hand, trying to be as supportive as possible but when he touched her he was shocked by the difference of body temperature. She was boiling compared to him.

"I was going to eat dinner at her place and when I walked thru the door I saw her body laid across the floor, face first." He said as her started to stroke her hair, carefully pushing her hair out of her face. He felt terrible, disgustingly dreadful. He felt as if this was half his fault. If he had just came and visited her once during the week he was gone, maybe this would have happened.

"What's going on…?" a voice said softly, trying not to disturb anyone. Immediately Gale wiped his head towards the voice and glared. To Gale, Peeta had NO right to be anywhere never Naomi. Him ACTING like he cared made Gale so mad, his vision started to blur.

"Get out!" Gale screamed as he got up from where he was sitting and walked his way towards Peeta, ready to deck him in the face. "You have no right being here!"

Peeta stepped back, startled at Gale's outburst. Peeta didn't even know what was happening, let alone knew who Gale was carrying. All he knew what that there was this gut clenching feeling as he stood outside with Haymitch, gazing on what little they could see from the open door.

"What's happening?"again asked Peeta as he tried to stand his ground. He had no reason to leave; his house was just next door. Was it such a crime to be outside? Next thing he knew he was shoved to the floor, feeling the ice cold snow on his butt and hands.

"I said get out!" Gale screamed again as he took a few more steps towards him to punch him in the jaw. Gale was so beyond mad, he didn't hear Katniss call him, trying to get him back into the house.

"I swear to god if she wakes up and you're still here, I'm going to-" he started but stopped as he heard a moan of pain come from behind him. Almost as if he was incapable to punch Peeta, Gale huffed and walked back inside the house leaving Peeta on the floor trying to calm his heart rate.

Peeta blankly stared at Gale, trying to comprehend the exact words that leaved his mouth. 'I had no right to be here?' he asked himself as he stood up, dusting off the slush from his pants. It wasn't like he was going to get in the way of Mrs. Everdeen.

"She's fine Gale, go home."

"What was wrong with her?"

"She was just dehydrated. It must have been a while since she drank any amount of water or ate anything for that matter."

"Oh… That's a relief…"

Peeta stepped closer to the door, trying to get a better look at exactly who was laying on Katniss's kitchen counter. The sinking feeling wouldn't go away; it was almost crushing his insides. More moans, more talking, more movement; yet no sound came from around the inside the house. It was muffled, like someone was covering his ears. Peeta should have been smarter than this. He knew Gale could probably punch his lights out; nevertheless he was still coming closer, step by step.

'I should walk away…' he told himself.

'I shouldn't be bothered by who was in there' he advised himself

But once he saw the hand of who Gale was holding on to, his heart shattered. He remembered that hand; every curve, every scar made by the needles, each nibbled-on fingernail. Each one of those marks belonging to the girl he left behind; Naomi. With his legs moving on his own, he quickened his pace to the door.

' This isn't happening,' Peeta said to himself as he stood at the door way, watching Naomi try to breath. She look sickly, almost dead looking. he noticed her waist had shrunk and her hair lost their bouncy curls. Everything about her seemed different, but her beautiful peaceful expression when she laid there asleep, in this case unconscious, was still as radiant as ever.

'This can't be happening!'

Peeta stood at the doorway, watching in horror as Mrs. Everdeen slowly put small ice cubes in Naomi's mouth, checking her pulse every few seconds. Prim was changing the cloth on Naomi's forehead, probably to try and lower the fever she had. Peeta then realized a small detail he was trying to over look; Gale was holding onto the limp hand of Naomi. Peeta held back the scream in the back of his mouth, trying hard to keep his cool. Peeta had no reason to be upset; after all he was the one who broke up with Naomi.

If you call pretending your girlfriend didn't exists and ignoring her for more than half a year.

* * *

**_Are you guys enjoying the story?_**

**_i feel like no one is liking it ._._**

**_Message me what you would like to see, I'm friendly :)_**

**_-Xoxo Nessa_**


	7. Chapter 7

"_If you call pretending your girlfriend didn't exist and ignoring her for more than half a year 'breaking up', I did that a long time ago."_

Muttering …

Clanking of pan's and pots…

My name being called constantly…

My head was throbbing…

My arms and legs won't work…

It was cold…

Is this how it feels like to die…?

I'm not dying… Right?

[-]

Gale sat in next to Naomi's sleeping body the whole time while Mrs. Everdeen worked her magic. Often Naomi would make a small moan or try to turn over on her side as if she was trying to pull away from something, but other than that she stayed put. Gale was so concentrated on Naomi's face; he soon ignored the figure standing by the doorway. Peeta decided just to stand by, watching to see if Naomi was actually okay. He knew she was in perfectly capable hands but something about seeing her face made him stay. He was almost memorized by how much of her was still the same.

_The way her mouth was slightly open when she was sleeping…_

_Her naturally rosy pink lips..._

_Her glossy wavy hair…_

_Her pink cheeks…_

_Her pail tanned skin…_

_Her long slender legs…_

Looking at her and Gale made Peeta clench his fist tightly without him really realizing it. Something about them both made his head hurt and his stomach boil. He heard the rumors the town's people were saying. The rumors of Naomi Underwood, Peeta's ex girlfriend, and Gale Hawthorn, Katniss's "cousin", finally making a move on each other was all that they were talking about.

Peeta ran his fingers though his hair, frustrated at the thoughts running threw his head. He, of course, never believed in the rumors they were saying. The odds of Naomi and Gale getting together was so slim, it was laughable.

"_I saw them walking together to the square, arms linked. They looked like a cute married couple."_

"_Did you see Gale running to her house right after work? How sweet is he?"_

"_Did you happen to see Gale shopping for accessories? It must be for that Tailor girl."_

"_Did you see that cute couple buying candy? They look so happy together."_

"_Is it just me or is Miss Underwood looking healthier? She seems to have gained weight. I bet you any amount of money that it was because of Gale."_

"_Look at that girl smile. She only smiles like that when she's with him."_

Grinding his teeth together, Peeta recalled each small rumor that was said about the two people in front of him. Not for a moment did he think they were true. He knew Naomi loved him. Naomi ONLY loved him, and he knew that would never change. Sure, more than half a year has passed since the 74th hunger games and his act to break Naomi's heart but he still had a hope that she still loved him. Hope was all that he had.

"uggghh…" Naomi said softly as she tried to get up from where she was laid down. Gale stood up quickly, trying to lay her back down. Peeta lunged forward to try to help but he stopped himself, knowing that Gale wouldn't approve him touching Naomi.

"Naomi stay down, I'll carry you to a bed." Gale said quietly as he stroked her hair, trying to keep her calm.

"But… but the stew… you were… we were… going to eat dinner together…" Naomi whispered as closed her eyes, trying to get use to all the light in the room. Peeta held his breath, catching each word Naomi was saying. They were going to eat dinner together?

"Don't worry honey. Trust me, we will right when you wake up. Just for the record, it smelled amazing…" Gale said softly as kissed the top of her forehead, trying to put her to sleep.

Katniss stood by the other side of the room, trying hard not to act disturbed by the little scene they put up. Peeta on the other hand almost gagged seeing the act of affection from Gale.

'That was sick, completely sick.' Thought Peeta as he turned on his heal to walk back to his house, still having the urge to vomit. Right when he was a few feet from his door, he slowed his footing then completely stopping in a halt.

He hated this. He hated the way Gale looked at her. He hated those rumors. He hated that he purposely let her go.

She was the ONLY reason why he kept the star crossed lovers act up.

She was the only reason he kissed katniss during the games,

She was the only reason why he "confessed" his feeling to a girl with no sex appeal was to purposely make Naomi hate him.

He had purposely made her hate him for the off chance she never saw him again… So that she could move on with her life. Yea, the possibility of her getting a boyfriend hurt him while he was in the games but never did think he was going to see her hook up with another guy while he was still alive. Not for a second did he actually think he would win with katniss.

Peeta leaned against the door of his place, trying to calm his thoughts. He loved her so much, it hurt. He thought that maybe, just maybe, if he ignored her long enough she just might lose that shine she always had. That maybe once he looked at her after a long while that the feeling he has for just might disappear. Tears started to blur his vision, letting all his guilt hit him.

He was so wrong.

* * *

_**Kinda short, I'm sorry.**_

_**Thank you guys so much for your reviews**_

_**They make butterflies in my tummy :D**_

_**-Xoxo Nessa**_


	8. Chapter 8

Note; There is no quarter quells in my story [Yet?]. I'm sorry

* * *

Months had passed since Naomi had passed out from dehydration and it was nearing the 75th hunger games reaping. After the incident Gale made sure to come over everyday just to check up on her, not satisfied nor convinced that she was capable of taking care of herself. No matter how many times she told him she was fine he would just give her a sympathetic look as a response. It was honestly getting on her nerves

"I'm not a child Gale, I could perfectly take care of myself." Naomi said as she set a cup of tea in front of him, expecting him to give into the demand of letting her hunt with him.

"Child or not mimi, I don't feel comfortable with you out there." He said as he took the cup and blew on it, trying hard to end this conversation. "I hardly feel comfortable with you in those woods, let alone holding a knife." He tried to finish as he recalled her first time picking strawberry's with him. The way she fell on her knees every few feet, the way she scratched herself on simple thorns from the trees, she even managed to fall in a knee deep puddle. He frankly didn't even trust her at her job anymore.

"You don't feel comfortable letting me stay alone in this house for more than 24 hours!" she said loudly as she stood in front of him with her hands on her hips. Sure, at first she thought it was so sweet that he came to her home running but now it was getting annoying. She could cook, clean, and sleep without him watching her every move. She even knew he asked people from the Hob and towns people from the square to check up in her. This was getting to extreme.

"I'm not like how I was before the 74th games Gale…" she said quietly as she dropped her hands from her hips and looked to the floor, feeling ashamed. "I know you felt like you had a responsibility to take care of me Gale but-" she was cut off by the loud clanking noise of the glass cup being placed the little glass plate too hard. Once she looked up she saw Gale giving her the angriest glare she has even seen him give her.

Gale was mad and slightly annoyed by this time. The way she had said he somewhat had a responsibility to take care of her angered him. She made it sound like it was a burden for him to watch her which, as if he didn't want to do it. Of course he liked watching her. It made him feel warm and fuzzy inside when he saw her smile. Even if it wasn't his fault that she turned into what she was a year ago, he wanted to stay. That was ALL Peeta's fault and he made that perfectly clear to Peeta himself.

[-]

_Gale leaned against Naomi's little cottage, waiting for her to return from her shop. He knew since it was nearing the time of Reaping, parents have been piling work on her. This was her busiest time of year since she was the magician with all sorts of fabric. Most parents normally ask her to make a dress bigger or smaller but if she was really lucky people bought her custom made dresses. They were beautiful without a doubt but with most of the people poor, they hardly sold._

_With Gale's game bag hanging from his arm, he closed his eyes for a little. It was late and He was always so tired after a full week of work. One Sunday off was ridicules compared to the hours of work he did all week. Being 18 wasn't all it was cracked up to be_

_Once he herd rustling of feet walking up the hill, he smiled and stood up straight. He was genially very happy when he saw Naomi; it was always great to see her smile. _

_It was never like the way everyone thought they were. Gale knew Naomi would never look at him like the way she looks at Peeta. At most she saw him as an older brother, her protector. Truth be told, he was fine with that. Without a doubt he thought Naomi looked stunning with her curly brown hair and green eyes. There was no doubt in this world that she was by far one of the most beautiful girl in district 12, it was just that he could never look at her with 'those' kind of eyes. _

_The eyes of a true lover_

_Not while Peeta was still on her mind_

"_Naomi?" asked the voice from the bottom of hill, expecting to hear a response. Gales sweet smile soon turned into a scowl, realizing who it really was. Was HE really walking up this hill to talk to Naomi? Was HE really attempting to make all this better? HE really had some nerve._

"_Oh, it's you…" Peeta said softly, noticing it wasn't Naomi standing by the hill but Gale. Peeta awkwardly stood by the ledge, not exactly knowing what to neither say nor do while Gale was throwing daggers with his eyes. _

"_Go home pretty boy, Naomi doesn't want to see you."_

[-]

"No is no Naomi. That's the end of it." Gale said as he gulped down the rest of the tea. Almost immediately the burning sensation in the middle of his chest made his whole body numb. He really shouldn't have been drinking the liquid as fast as he did.

Naomi sighed, not happy that she lost this fight again. She had been trying to convince Gale to show her some tricks of the hunting world for weeks now, all ending with the same phrase. It really wasn't that she needed to hunt like Gale did, she just wanted to help his family in whatever way she could the way they helped her.

His mother was just so sweet, so kind. Ever since Naomi's real parents died, Gale's mother always seemed like a secondary mother. Always worried, always calling her beautiful. She truly owed that woman a lot.

"You're being unfair Gale," Naomi started as she sat down in the chair in front of him, trying hard to not to look at his face. "what if… what if I get placed in the games? If I knew how to hunt maybe I might have a-" a large band was heard that made Naomi stop talking. Gale was standing up with his fists on the table from previously hitting it.

"You're not going to get Reaped Naomi." Gale said simply as he gave her a hard stare. Naomi gulped, realizing his anger.

"But there Is a possibility that I-"

"You're not going to get Reaped!"

Silence filed the room, letting the simple sounds of Naomi and Gale present themselves.

* * *

_**I'm so sorry I haven't Updated in a while.**_

_**ACT's and ACEN filed my mind ./.**_

_**It's the end of the school year so i will have time to update soon **_

_**THANK YOU ALL FOR THE REVIEWS!**_

_**-Xoxo Nessa**_


	9. Chapter 9

_Make the images go away…_

5

_Stop the bleeding… Please!_

4

_So thirsty… Water… I need water…_

3

_The cuts burn_

2

_Make them stop… _

1

_Stop it!_

With a jolt I woke up from my deep sleep. Cold sweat rolled down the sides of my face making my bangs stick to my forehead and the feeling of being alone more obvious. My breath was heavy and short. My heart beat rang threw my ears, making my head throb with pain. My vision was blurred; tears distorted what was real and what was false. I was crying. Why was I crying?

"It was a dream…" I said to myself, trying so hard to blame my vivid imagination for those horrible images. None of it was real, of course.

All that blood

Those tears

That pain

Those screams

None of that was real. It was all a lie. All of it was a lie.

"It was just a dream…"

Getting ready for the day was surprisingly harder then usual. Everything had seemed wrong. More wrong than normal. Then again, Reaping day was never _really_ normal. Everything seemed out of place, off, almost fake. I sighed to myself, cursing my pathetic state.

"Two more years… After today, one… They won't be able to pick me then… They won't… They can't." I whispered to myself as I put of my best fitting dress. It wasn't the short flower one that barley covered my legs. That one no longer fit my chest area. A smile flew across my face as I remembered Gale's face when I told him I was giving that dress to another family. Apparently he never liked that dress. In his own words, that dress was way to "Reveling". He approved this dress though. It was A dark sea green dress with white swirls forming on the bottom, reaching to the top of the dress. It was simple, yet nice. He said it brought out the color of my eyes, something I was hoping for.

I gazed at the mirror next to my bed side, noting all of my imperfections.

The way my hair fizzed up near the back of my neck.

How my fingers were scared and torn from the work I did every day.

How my lips were crackled and broken from repeatedly licking them.

How my eyes lost their spark.

How my nails were nibbled down till they were raw.

_No wonder he picked her_

Katniss with her long brown hair.

_My hair barley passes my shoulders._

The way her skin held this beautiful olive tone.

_My skin stayed this white tan color no matter how long I stayed in the sun._

The way she walks with such confidence and pride

_I'm lucky if I don't fall or trip ever few steps. _

The way she is so strong

_While I'm so weak. _

Banging on my front door stopped my own self loathing, bringing me back to my simple life. While quickly smoothing out my hair to make it look presentable, I opened the door to a grim face Gale. Even while he had a frown plastered on his face I smiled brightly. Yes it nearing the Reaping but I knew right after the event me and gale's family would be spending the whole day together. We would eat and talk, enjoying each other's company. Just another simple after reaping party

"Hey Mimi. Walk with me?"


	10. Chapter 10

Naomi strolled behind Gale while softly humming a soft tone. Looking from afar, she looked like a little sister following her big brother. Her 5'4 stature was petite compared to his 6'3 built self. Gale listened while lead her down the road towards the square, humming his own little tone along side with her. It was an adorable sight and on a normal day people gazed and gawked. Sorrowfully, it was reaping day and the people of District 12 couldn't care less about the cute couple.

The two walk along the streets of the square, trying to enjoy what little peace they had left together till the reaping. Gale felt bitter, not relived that he was now 19 and no longer needed to worry about himself getting reaped. He didn't know what was worse; the sinking feeling he had in his stomach when he knew his name was written down 42 times or the fact now he couldn't save his brothers just like Katniss Everdeen did with her sister Prim.

He had to watch now from the sidelines, cursing the capitol for being so curl to their citizens.

Gale glanced at Naomi, noting her remarkable smile. A calming sensation flew across his body when Naomi looked back, giving him her signature grin. He liked that. He liked when she smiled for him and only him.

"Hey Gale, do you mind going to the bakery with me?" she said softly as she wrapped her arm loosely around his own, Gale gazed ahead to the bakery, peering in with his gray eyes to see if he saw Peeta. He didn't.

"Sure," He responded. "Why though?"

Naomi wiped her eyes with her forearm, trying not to look at him. "I wanted to buy some cookies for Rory, Vick, and Posy…"

Gale gave her a questionable look. "Not to be rude but with what money Mimi? That stuff is expensive. You don't need to buy them anything." He said as he opened the bakery door.

"I'll have you know I have plenty of money saved up for emergencies or special events." She replied as she waited for Gale to go through the door.

Gale rolled his eyes."Ladies first." He said in an unreasonably high voice; imitating the District 12 escort for the Hunger Games, Effie Trinket.

A small giggle escaped Naomi's mouth, showing her teeth. "Why thank you good sir." She said with the same unreasonably high voice. They needed a laugh here and there.

Naomi looked around the store, noting the small things here and there. She then turned her attention to the owner of the baker.

"Hello Mrs. Mellark." She said softly as she tightened her grip on Gale's arm. Mrs. Mellark looked up from her work and smiled sadly at Naomi.

"Hello Dear," She said softly as she cleaned off her hands with her apron. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this…" she glanced at Gale. "Visit?"

Naomi pointed to some beautifully shaped flower sugar cookies. "May I have a pound or so of those cookies?" she said with a small smile plastered on her face. Mrs. Mellark smiled and began to pour the small cookies into a small plastic bag.

"Still enjoying Peeta's cookies are we Naomi?" she said as she tried to tie the top of the bag.

"You always loved to eat those cookies with Peeta on the porch of the Bakery." She continued. Naomi handed Mrs. Mellark more than enough money to pay off the cookies. Naomi forced a smile, trying so hard to remain calm.

"Happy Hunger Games…" she said softly as she took hold of the cookies in her hands. "Have a nice day…"

"I hope to see you around." Mrs. Mellark said as she leaned on the counter. Naomi nodded and dragged Gale outside the door, feeling completely uncomfortable while there was a tight feeling burning in the middle of her chest.

"You okay?" Gale asked quietly as he opened the door for her to step out. "That looked kind of… rough…"

Naomi shrugged and tried to pull off a happy smile. Of course she wasn't okay. "It was just difficult… You know?" She started as she shifted a part of her hair behind her ear. "She talks about me like it was only last week me and her son were dating." Her eyes softened when she said son instead of Peeta.

"It's a life left behind…" She continued as she held Gale' hand in her own. "It's time I moved on…" She continued as she looked up at Gale's gray eyes.

Gale's eyes softened as he ran his fingers threw her hair. His heart fluttered, slightly hoping she might actually look at him with affectionate stare after all this time. This way he could forget Katniss. This way she would forget Peeta.

Almost like an instinct, Gale bent down slowly, trying to kiss her softly. This couldn't possibly go wrong, not now. Not with him only chance.

Then suddenly there was a loud cough herd right in front of us. Immediately Naomi released her hand from Gale and took a big step back, making the distance between her and him more noticeable. Gale didn't have to look at who make the cough to know who was in front of him and Naomi. The look of pure horror on Naomi's face said it all.

Peeta awkwardly shifted his feet back and forth, not exacting knowing what to say. Naomi and Peeta gazed into each other's eyes, trying to explain what was in front of them. This wasn't exactly how he pictured they would see each other. Peeta had Images of her throwing crap in his face, her punching him in face, even him and her making up and jumping into each other's arms was one of his predictions.

Not this. Not her looking at another man's eyes and looking as if they were going to kiss. Not with Gale Hawthorn. Defiantly not in front of his family's bakery with him ruining their moment. This was all in the wrong.

"Hey…" Peeta started "It's been a while…"

In the corners of Naomi's eyes tears started to form. She opened her mouth to say something, anything but nothing came out. Her bottom lip started to tremble and her breathing speeded up. All this was so cruel. Naomi took a quick glance at Gale then rushed past Peeta towards Gale's house. Peeta didn't have to look at her walk away to tell if she was crying.

"Are you fucking happy now?" Gale said as he glared down at Peeta. "You made her cry."\=

Peeta sighed and placed his hands in his pockets. He was dressed nicely with suit pants with a blue button up shirt and black tie. He looked dashing.

No words came out of his mouth; he just looked away with a frown. To think he hurt Naomi so badly that she couldn't even respond to a simple hello. He knew she was broken up about the last Hunger games but he never knew exactly how much.

[-]

"_Naomi?" Peeta asked as he walked up from behind her. "Naomi?" He asked again._

"_Hmm?" She responded softly, letting Peeta know she was paying attention. Peeta sighed, sitting next to her to try to get more of her attention. Apparently the view of the forest across the fence was way more attention-grabbing then the words coming out of Peeta's mouth. _

_Great. She's mad._

"_What did I do?" Peeta asked as he grabbed hold of her hand, gesturing her to look at him. _

_She pulled away. This was just perfect. She's beyond angry. She was furious._

"_What day is it Peeta?" she asked as she continued to look at the lush green trees. Peeta pressed his lips together. Today was a special day?_

"_Um… a special day," He started as he wrapped his arms around Naomi's waist lovingly. "That my wonderful, beautiful, amazing girlfriend is going to inform me about?"_

_Naomi gave Peeta an annoyed look. Oh man. She was infuriated. She pulled away from his grip and stood up, trying hard to keep a straight face. _

"_Oh nothing important Peeta, It's just our two year anniversary." Crap._

"_Oh…" Peeta said in a dull, unenthusiastic voice. "That's today…?"_

_Naomi glared at Peeta, not humored at his forgetfulness. _

"_Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know today wasn't as important to you as it is to me."_

_Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap. _

_Naomi rolled her eyes and walked away, clearly madder._

_Crap._

[-]

Gale scoffed at Peeta's lost expression. Gale couldn't be more furious at this moment with Peeta looking unfazed by the event that just happened. Hasn't Peeta done enough to hurt Naomi?

"I want you to back off Mellark." Gale demanded as he started to walk past him. "She needs something to hold on to. Someone reliable, " Peeta quickly glared at Gale.

"Someone who won't crush her heart every time he appears on the TV while holding the hand of a replacement." Gale finished as he started to walk away from him, keeping his head high.

Peeta stared straight ahead to the bakery door, unsatisfied with himself for not saying something.

He could have snapped back at Gale.

He could have ran after Naomi when she left.

He could have punched Gale in the jaw.

He could have done so much.

But he _didn't_, that's why killed him inside.

* * *

*Poker Face*

I'm on a role...

REAPING DAY TIME NEXT CHAPTER ;D

-Xoxo Nessa


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